Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Sleeping in the litter





Saturday: in which I gather neglected thoughts and projects, and wonder if I should find the surface of my desk one of these days. Nawwww. Everyone has departed – Sandy returned to New Zealand yesterday morning having been here since the 4th of July. Anna Dahl has gone home to Iowa for the weekend – she’ll be back Sunday night to do her shifts as a nurse at St. Mary’s. Anita went to Madison to meet Marsena and see an outdoor Shakespeare play in the evening and hang out for the weekend. We are bunny-sitting and eating Farmer’s Market Golden Baby Tomatoes by the handful.

Honeysuckle is Anita’s angora rabbit who shares, nay, rules our screened-in back porch. She personifies the moniker “Dumb Bunny” but we appreciate her dumbness as after all, God’s made her that way. Unlike many of us, she is comfortable in her creaturely-ness. She sleeps in her litter box with no apology, nibbles Denis’ slippers, (he lets her for heaven’s sake), hops up on the shelf to eat a bowl of chips, gnaws the siding off the house (we put a stop to that!) and steadfastly refuses to acknowledge my presence unless I have a blueberry or a grape.

I never quite get it. At the same time I don’t mind the reminder – it’s the small parts of life, the insignificant, the common that become the holy parts – the places where God waters and feeds us.

5 comments:

Sandra Oster said...

I so loved the time I spent with you. You remind me so very well that I am best when being just who I am. I also have my 'litter box' places in my life and mostly that is just fine. Thanks, such heart felt thanks.
s

Unknown said...

This is hilarious.

She is some character.

Thanks for the laugh. I cannot wait to ask God why he created the creatures He did. I want to know the thoughts that were ticking over in His brain at the time.

Unknown said...

Odd how a bunny (and its peculiarities) can make for moments "where God waters and feeds us." But it does.

Margie Haack said...

Claire, Sam, indeed! I often wonder, too, what WAS God thinking? Rabbits, yes - delight. Mosquitoes? I'm not sure. Sanctification?

Unknown said...

If there is a sanctification scale, I'm not sure ticks are on it. They are without hope in my book.